World safety and health summit scheduled

The eighteenth World Congress on Safety and Health at Work is scheduled for June 29 to July 02, 2008, and will be attended by four thousand industry leaders, policy-makers, and experts from more than one hundred different countries. The congress will be health in Seoul, in the Republic of Korea. The World Congress on Safety and Health at Work is jointly organized by the International Labor Organization and the International Social Security Association. The congress meets every three years, and is the largest international event of its kind. The purpose of the meetings is to discuss health and safety in the workplace, and international efforts for improvement, with this year’s theme being “Safety and health at work: A societal responsibility.” This year, the congress will also unveil the results of some pioneering research which was carried out on the relationship between occupational safety and health and environmentally-sustainable economic growth and development. In addition, the Congress will include a Safety and Health Summit which will be attended by fifty decision-makers from countries all over the world. Government ministers, CEOs of multi-national companies, senior safety, health, and social security experts, and employer and worker representatives will be among those attending. Dr. Sameera Al-Tuwaijri, Director, ILO International Program on Safety and Health at Work and the Environment said of the conference, “As the global toll of illness, injury and death from occupational accidents and disease continues to remain at unacceptable levels, this Congress will underline what needs to be done to ensure that a healthy working environment can be achieved. Not only is safety at work desirable, it must be recognized as a fundamental human right in the world of work.” The ILO estimates that more than two million people die every year as a result of work-related accident, injury, or disease. The estimated cost to the global economy is up to 4% of global GDP. This year, the congress will provide recently revised estimates of the incidence rate and global impact of work-related accident, injury, and death, in addition to examining ways to improve work-place safety. Participants will focus on several key issues, including the elimination of asbestos-related risk in the workplace, the possible risks of nanotechnology, improvement of workplace environments, HIV/AIDS in the workplace, and many others. In addition to meetings and discussions the congress hosts an International Film and Multimedia Festival which includes short films about occupational safety. An International Safety and Health Exhibition will showcase products and technology for improving workplace safety. Participants will also visit companies such as Samsung Electronics, SK Incheon Oil Refining Company, and KIA Motors to look at safety and health management in these companies. (Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News)